Lions move record to 5-0 in NCC

(Above) Clear Lake’s Jaylen DeVries keeps his eye on the basket during Tuesday night’s game against Charles City.  DeVries ended with 16-points and 16 rebounds.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake boys hit the ground running in the second half of their season.  The Lions played three games last week and came away with two wins, putting their record at 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the North Central Conference.

CL 67, Charles City 60

The Lion shook off the holiday break with a non-conference win over Charles City on Jan. 7, 67-60.

“The first game after Christmas break is always a challenge, as it is kind of like starting the season over after having almost three weeks off,” said Head Coach Jeremey Ainley.  “We came out in the first quarter and shot it really well and so did Charles City, but our defense was a little rusty from the layoff.”

In the second quarter the Lions got back to guarding better and held the Comets to one shot per possession.  The effort yielded held the opponent to just nine points in the period and helped the Lions to a 41-29 halftime lead.

Some inconsistency after the real helped the Comets make a comeback.  They closed the gap.

“In the third quarter we didn’t shoot it quite as well and had a few turnovers, but played good enough defense to hold a 10 point lead going into the fourth.

The Comets made a couple of runs in the final frame to cut the lead to six, but the Lions responded with some baskets and hit their free throws to pull out the seven pint victory over a good Class 3A opponent.

Kody Kearns had a good night offensively and defensively, holding one of Charles City’s top scorers to just four points.  Kearns finished with 18 points on the night.

Carson Toebe shot the ball well and had 16 points. Jaylen DeVries had a monster game with 15 points and 16 rebounds and Jack Barragy had a good shooting game with 10 points.

Additional scoring was provided by Andrew Formanek with six-points and Ryan Thomas with two.

“Overall, it was a good team win after a long break and over a good 3A opponent,” said Ainley.

CL 53, Humboldt 48

The Lions earned a critical NCC win on the road Friday night, Jan. 10.

“Always a long road trip at a tough place to play and this Friday trip was no different,” said Coach Ainley.  “Humboldt is under a new coach and playing at a high level with a good record at 6-2.  They have size and some shooters.  We knew we would have to guard well and make some shots.”

The Lions played good defense  and offensively got the ball down low, taking advantage of their big guys.  But the Wildcats made their shots too, and the teams were tied 13-13 after one quarter of play.

But things went cold for the Lions in the second quarter.

“We had some questionable shot selection and shot 1/14 from the field and struggled a little with the ball not moving like we needed and went into halftime down by 10 points, said the coach.

Humboldt held a 28-18 halftime lead.

The Lions returned to a running game after the break and got to the rim more with better ball movement.  They outscored the home team 18-8 to tie the score at 36-36 heading into the final quarter.

“In the fourth quarter we relied on our defense to get us going a little and were able to pull out a five-point win,” said Ainley.

Andrew Formanek had a big night with 18 points and nine rebounds.  Formanek made a couple huge defensive plays down the stretch -- a big steal and charge taken, to help his team to the win.

Carson Toebe shot it well and scored 12 points, all in the second half.  Kody Kearns scored 10-points and Jaylen DeVries played a solid all-around game with seven-points and 13 rebounds.  Jack Barragy added five-points and Jackson Loge dropped a free throw for one-point.

“Overall, if we want to have a chance for another conference title we need to protect our home floor and steal a couple of these road games when we don’t play or shoot our best, said Ainley.

Forest City 54, CL 52

After getting home at 11:30 p.m. the night before, the Lions were getting on a bus again exactly 12 hours later for a 1 p.m. Saturday game against Forest City.  Unfortunately the team didn’t come out with the focus and effort they needed at the start and were downed, 54-52.

“We didn’t settle in until it was a little too late,” said Coach Ainley.  “We gave up way too many open looks in the first quarter.”

The Lions trailed 21-14 after one quarter, but fought back in the second to only be down three at half time.

“In the second half we came out and guarded a lot better, but unfortunately had way too many turnovers and didn’t shoot it well. It was not our best effort, and that ultimately is my fault for not having us prepared for the game plan and ultimately the execution.”

Andrew Formanek had another strong performance with 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.  Kody Kearns scored 14 points and Jaylen DeVries had eight points and eight rebounds.

Jack Barragy scored four-points, Nick Danielson had three, and Carson Toebe an Ryan Thomas had two points apiece.

“It was a day in which we did not shoot it well from outside (2/15) and they did (11/24) and unfortunately, sometimes that is basketball,” added Ainley.